etch

1 of 2

verb

ˈech 

etched; etching; etches

transitive verb

1

a

: to produce (something, such as a pattern or design) on a hard material by eating into the material's surface (as by acid or laser beam)

b

: to subject to such etching

2

: to delineate or impress clearly

scenes etched in our minds

pain was etched on his features

intransitive verb

: to practice etching

etcher noun

etch

2 of 2

noun

1

: the action or effect of etching a surface

2

: a chemical agent used in etching

Synonyms

Verb

• engrave
• grave
• incise
• inscribe
• insculp [archaic]

Examples of etch in a Sentence

Verb

etched an identification number on the back of the television

glass that has been etched with an identification number

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

For 4 minutes and 23 seconds, at exactly 38 minutes past 1 p.m., Hillsboro etched its place in earhtly celestial history. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024

The family’s name is etched all over the city: there’s the Tisch School of the Arts, at New York University; the Tisch Cancer Institute, at Mount Sinai; and the Tisch Galleries, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Battling on wax is etched in stone, the ritual is one of the game’s 10 Rap Commandments. —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024

One such scene etches itself in our minds, impossible to unsee. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024

Ada Hegerberg Emerging as a frontrunner in discussions for the title of the best female soccer player globally from 2016 to 2019, Hegerberg etched her name in history by becoming the inaugural recipient of the Ballon d'Or Féminin in 2018. —Assile Toufaily, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Pain has always been etched on the 36-year-old’s face throughout his career. —Tim Ellis, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

As the waterworks continued, a trio of teenage boys approached us with bottles of water, concern etched across their faces. —Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Mar. 2024

The wardrobe choices for Givens were some of the film’s best and they’re etched into many fan’s minds even over 30 years later. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024

Noun

Nanoimprint lithography stamps the chip’s design directly onto a silicon wafer, while EUV instead uses light to etch circuit patterns. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 29 Jan. 2024

In recent years there has also been a spike nationwide in catalytic converter thefts, prompting police in Takoma Park, Md., to team up with a local mechanic to etch tag numbers on catalytic converters to deter thieves seeking the part for its precious metals. —Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023

For a more subtle contrast, etch to remove the skin and some of the flesh without carving all the way through. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2023

But scene by scene, Jacobs and his leads etch a tangle of compelling, persuasive dynamics and backstories. —Jon Frosch, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023

Both etch sentences as precise as an Olympic skater’s figure eights; both wield their scalpels for insight beneath the baggy skin of domesticity. —Hamilton Cain, Washington Post, 8 July 2023

China’s loudest complaint: It is blocked from buying a machine available only from a Dutch company, ASML, that uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits into silicon chips on a scale measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. —Joe McDonald, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2023

Extreme ultraviolet light is then beamed through the plate and onto the wafer, printing a design on it before it’s bathed in chemicals to etch along the pattern. —Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023

The finely tabled landscape is the result of tiny etch marks on the penny's surface. —Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Dutch etsen, from German ätzen to etch, corrode, from Old High German azzen to feed; akin to Old High German ezzan to eat — more at eat

First Known Use

Verb

1634, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

etch

verb

ˈech

1

a

: to produce (as a pattern or design) on a hard material by lines eaten into the material's surface (as by acid or laser beam)

b

: to produce a pattern or design on by such etching

etched glass

an etched silicon chip

2

: to outline or impress clearly

migrating ducks etched against the sky

etcher noun